Temperature sensitive means



May 7, 1946.

c; F. KETTERING TEMPERATURE SENSITIVE MEANS Filed Apil 13, 194:5

jument r maf/ff awww/ Gtforncgs Patented May 7, 1946 TEMrERATURE SENSITIVE MEANS v l I Charles F. KetteringgDetroit, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporatlon,-Detroit, 'Mich., a

` corporation of Delaware Appueation April 13, 1943, 'serlalNa 482,925

-3 Claims. (011250-833) 'i This invention relates to detecting means and more particularly to meanscfor detecting variations in temperature or heat.

There are numerous instances in which it is necessary or desirable todetector measure-the presence of heat. From the heat Vradiated by a body we are able, for example, to establish the location of such body from a distance, even though the same is not visible to the eye due to darkness, fog, etc. Such a detecting device utilizf ing the radiant'heat or infrared rays is disclosed in a copending application SerialNo. 442,572, led May 11, 1942, .in the names of Sargeant and Hoeper, and entitled Radiant heat detector, and assigned to a common assignee. In the construction shown there the detector or pick-upconsisted4 of a pair of thermopiles or thermocouples located at. the focus of a reflectorandzany horizontal displacement ofthe source of rays would cause the incoming beam to fall on .one more than the other and thus provide an indication. Y

However, it is desirable to have lsuch-detecte ing or pick-up means sensitive to vertical as well as horizontal temperature gradient to permit motion or scanning in any direction to locate a source of rays.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide heat detecting means sensitive to temperature variations in more than one plane.

Itis a further object of my invention to provide pick-up means for heat detecting apparatus that is sensitive to temperature variations in a vertical plane as well as in a horizontal plane.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide pick-up means for heat detector apparatus capable of following a compound path 0f vertical and horizontal variation.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent as the specification proceeds the embodiments of my invention will be best understood by reference to the following specification and claims and the illustrations in the accom-` panying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a detector or pick-up means incorporating my invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the target position layout and wiring connections of the pick-up means; and

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the target assembly taken on line 3--3 of Figure 2.

Referring now more specifically to the drawing, in Figure 1 is shown a standard 2 which supports a hollow casing 4 having mounted therein a concave mirror 6 which is adapted to concentrate the incoming rays at the approximate center of the casing. Mounted at the focus of the. mirror 6 is a support 8 to hold .the temperature responsive means designated generally as I0. A visual sighting means I2\is, ,located on top of the casing to assistin ascertaining the whereabouts of thebody.

The A--actual pick-up vmeans is shown in detail in Figure 2 and consists of four targets I4, I6, I8 and 2.0 forming va square as shown,` the four targets being insulated from each otherfalong the vertical and horizontal division lines as shown. Each target isi-.formed of a thin layer of silver 22.7havingits surface blackened by a layer of lamp black 23 or similar material. for absorbingradiant energy. The connections to these targets are as' shown. vWhile the actual wire connections are here indicated as being bismuth and silver, these Aare merely illustrative as being two materials having thermal electric potential and any other thermal electric materials may be used without deviatingfrom the scope of my invention. 1;,

The target,Mehafsconnected thereto and to each other a silverline 24 and a bismuth wire 26 which form a thermocouple. Thisbismuth line haspitsorposite. .end onnectedlto target IG. to a cross Vconnecting silver line 28, and to a second bismuth line 30. The opposite end of the transverse silver line 28 is connected to target I8 and two bismuth wire lines 32 and 34. Blsmuth line 32 has its opposite end connected to a silver feed line 36, the junction of the two lines being mechanically supported by the target I4 but electrically insulated therefrom by insulation indicated as 38. Blsmuth line 34 has its opposite end connected to target 20 and to silver feed line 40. The remaining bismuth line 30 has its end mechanically supported by target 20 and is connected to silver lead 42. The junction is, however, electrically insulated from the target by insulation 44 similar to insulation 38.

With the target assembly connected as indicated above, the operation will be described. Assuming first that the temperature gradient is vertical, that is, the top two target plates I4 and I6 are at a higher temperature than bottom targets I8 and 2Il due to heat rays focused thereon by the mirror 6, suitable indicating means (not shown) are connected to the leads 36 and 42 for indicating vertical gradient and therefore these leads are indicated V--V. Likewise, similar means are connected to leads 24 and 40 for indicating a horizontal gradient and therefore these leads are indicated H-H. Also, to better define the thermocouples, that formed by lines 24 and 26 is referred to as A, that formed by lines 28 and 26 or 30 as B, that formed by lines 30, and 42 as C, that formed by lines I0 and 34 as D, that formed by lines 28 and 32 or 3l as E, and that formed by lines 32 and 3B as F.

With our assumption that targets Il and I6 are at a higher temperature than targets I8 and 20, and for the moment considering the circuit V-V, thermocouple F will be at a higher temperature than thermocouple E and through crossconne'ction 28 thermocouple B will be at a higher temperature than thermocouple C and therefore a.

, potential diiierence will be developed in the line to indicate this across terminals V-V showing a vertical temperature gradient.` At the same time and now considering thel circuit HL-I-I", the thermocouple A will be at the same temperature as B under the assumed conditions and therefore no potential diierence will be present, andi likewise across the connection 28 thermocoupler Ewill be at the same potential as D and no potential diierenc'e will be presentthere and therefore-no potential dropl willi be formedacross H-II and the indicating means connected thereto would show norindcation. This would indicate to the operator that to locate the source of heat rays thev reflector should be 'pointed up Vslightly but not moved to one side.

The same'- explanation of course would apply if the temperature gradient werehorizontal'; inL that casethevoltage would appearacross H-H instead of Vl-V. It the temperature gradient comes at an angle it would then-have both a horizontal and vertical componentandin that-case'both indic'att ing devices would be energized.y lnv order toprevent cross flow between theI horizontal and vertical crcuits, it would' be necessary to apply a vibrator or likesynchronous switchingr meansin one set of incoming lea-ds such. asu-36 to al'- ternately connect theV V-V terminals andthe H-H' terminals totheir indicating-means. Any ambient temperature change will affect all ther'- moeouples equally and no indication willbe given.

By utilizing this targetA arrangement array coming in fromA any angle will causean indication in one or both indicating'means toi-inmediately show which direction to turn the reector to align the incoming ray with the axis of the reflector.

I claim:

1. In detecting means, a plurality of target and thermocouple means arranged in quadrants on each side of both a horizontal and a vertical axis, two of the diagonal targets having a plurality of thermocouplesl attached thereto,A conductive means connecting thermocouples.` in vadjacent quadrants in series and further conductive means cross-connecting the thermocouples on the other diagonal targets to give a potential difference across'- diiierent'l terminals for a horizontal or a vertical temperature gradient or combination of the two.,

2'. In detecting means, a plurality of heat absorbingtargets, a focusing reflecting means, means for mounting' saidV targets at the approximate focus of the reflecting means, said targets being orderly arranged in equal numbers about a horizontal and afvertical axis, one or more thermocouple means: secured to each target, diagonally opposite targets having the-:same number ot thermocouples, conductive-means connecting the'thermocouples. in adjacent'y perimetrical targets together and. diagonal cross-connecting means' between` two single therxnocouiple targets forming two setsr of'series connections ofi thermocouples, one to indicate Vhorizontal temperature gradient and the otherl vertical temperature: gradient.

3. In detecting means, a plurality of heat absorbing targets, a focusing reflecting; means; means forv mounting said targets :at the approximate. focus of theY renecting means,` saidv targets `35 being arranged in thefour quadrants ofy a'square,

thermocouples mounted. on: each target',A said' two upper and one lower thermocouple beingi connected together;v said two` lower-fand.V one upper thermocouples: being connected together and a in diagonal" cross connection from one upper ther- 

